Nicholas Benedict
"'Whereas adult thoughts would lumber into the mind like an elephant, children's creep in on cat feet and find a shadowy place to hide..." ' ''~ Nicholas Benedict, "The Mysterious Benedict Society" ' '''Nicholas Benedict' is an elderly man with narcolepsy, a condition which causes him to fall asleep whenever he experiences strong emotion; specifically, laughter. Appearance Mr. Benedict has white hair and a very bulbous, very red nose. He is generally unshaven or, when he remembers to shave, is covered in cuts because of his haste. He is an average, elderly man. He is always wearing a green plaid suit, or something else green plaid, because it supposedly calms down his narcolepsy. In Book 3, after his narcolepsy was cured by Constance, he has worn several other outfits. Personality Mr. Benedict is a very fun-loving man who enjoys laughing a great deal. He believes that all children should learn and play in safety and is a very decent person, reminiscent of Lemony Snicket's Uncle Monty (except for Monty's herpetology career). He is another technical genius and the adopted father of Constance Contraire, Rhonda Kazembe, and Number Two. He is an excellent chess player, wise mentor, and wonderful friend who is very trustworthy. He would rather give his own life than let someone he loves be hurt. An honorable character. Mr. Benedict's first name is not revealed until the second book, unless you are very smart and figure out the code on the back of the first book ('-. .. -.-. .... --- .-.. .- ...') which spell out "Nicholas". Abilities Mr. Benedict is a technological and strategic genius. His areas of specialties include acoustics, waveforms, hypnosis and the Human brain. He is also skilled at predicting the behavior of children such as Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance. History The Mysterious Benedict Society :Mr. Benedict makes a couple of tests to find gifted children. He puts the add in the newspaper, and he gets the four he was looking for, Reynie Muldoon, Sticky Washington, Kate Wetherall, and Constance Contraire. He explains to the kids that he has narcolepsy, and falls asleep when he feels a strong wave of emotion. Mr. Benedict also tells them their job; to go to the school and stop Ledroptha Curtain. :While the children are at the school, they tell him that Ledroptha Curtain is his twin brother. They keep sending him messages, and eventually he gives them the advice to stop Mr. Curtain. At the end he comes swooping in with Rhonda Kazembe and Number 2 to steal The Whisperer. He eventually adopts Constance, for she was the only child of the four without parents. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey :In The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, Mr. Benedict and his adopted daughter, Number 2, are kidnapped by Mr. Curtain. The four kids come to look for him. He was hidden on an island off of a foreign coast in a cave with Mr. Curtain. When the kids come, Mr. Curtain pretends to be him, but the kids don't fall for it. After many troubles, they escape the island without harm. They weren't able to catch Ledroptha, once again. Also, in the back of the first book, on the bottom of the back flap. There is a word written in morse code which is revealed to be his first name, Nicholas. Category:Characters Category:Benedict Followers Category:Orphans